This invention relates generally to projectiles and small arms ammunition, and more particularly to ammunition incorporating composite projectiles.
Conventional small arms ammunition comprises a cartridge having a casing loaded with a propellant powder and a projectile (e.g., a bullet). An impact-sensitive primer ignites the propellant when struck by a gun's firing pin. Projectiles for such ammunition are most typically made from lead or lead alloys. This material has a high density providing good velocity retention, range, muzzle energy, and target penetration, while being soft enough to engage the rifling in a barrel without damaging the barrel.
Unfortunately, lead is a source of both indoor and outdoor pollution, and is also rising in cost. Attempts have been made in the prior art to replace lead in projectiles. However, these materials have either been expensive (e.g., tungsten) or have significant performance limitations in terms of structural integrity and target penetration (e.g., polymers). Furthermore, even when projectiles are made from lead, their expansion characteristics (and related temporary and permanent wounding effects) are limited when incorporated into pistol ammunition, because of the relatively low muzzle energy levels that can be safely generated in a pistol. This limits the so-called “stopping power” of conventional pistol ammunition.
Other attempts have been made to replace lead in projectiles, as evidenced, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,930; U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,187; U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,642; U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,416; U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,379; U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,231; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,798.
Nonetheless, it is believed that there remains a need for a projectile with performance characteristics at least as good as a lead projectile; for a projectile that is more cost effective and more environmentally friendly than lead projectiles; and/or for a projectile providing enhanced stopping power or wounding effect compared to lead projectiles.